Secret Alliance
by Dream. Love. Smile
Summary: Cato forms a secret alliance with Katniss during the Hunger Games...


**A/N: Yes, I ship Katniss/Cato, no matter how much I adore Peeta/Katniss. KATO FOREVER! Well, honestly, I do know this won't work, because Cato died…but we can dream, can't we? This is the first time I've done Kato…so, please cut me some slack if it isn't so good…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games. If I did…Cato wouldn't have died.**

It's the night before the games begin. Perhaps the last night that she would ever live. Her soft footsteps walked up to the roof and looked down at the madness beneath her. Flashing colours, flashing lights, things that she could not make sense of. How she wished she was just at home, hunting again, living her normal life again.

But she had left her normal life forever and there was no getting it back. A deep voice sounded from behind her. "You ready for the arena tomorrow, Girl on Fire?"

She whirls around immediately. He towers over her, his blond hair flopping into his face, his shirt hugging his muscles perfectly. His ice blue eyes look down at her. "What are you doing here? Aren't you from District Two? This is District Twelve area."

"According to the rules, yes-but rules are made to be broken, Fire Girl."

"Why are you talking to me?" Fear and panic was surging through her. Why was this, this, _Career _from District Two doing up on the rooftop, talking to her?

"I want to make an alliance with you."

"An _alliance?_" She was shocked-an alliance with the careers? That was impossible. Never, in the history of the Hunger Games, had a tribute from District Twelve been paired up with the Careers. "With the Careers?"

"No, Fire Girl, not with the Careers-just with me. Our own secret alliance, if you may."

"A secret alliance."

"Yes, an agreement. A truce, basically-in the Games, I'll keep the Careers away from you to the best of my talents, you keep whatever you have away from us. The truce remains until the pool shrinks down to the last four tributes."

"What makes you so sure I'll make it there?"

"You will-because I'm not hunting you."

She's quiet, staring at the boy in front of her with an expression of curiosity. "Why?"

"What do you mean, why?"

"Why are you teaming up with me?"

Silence. Then, "Do you want to make an alliance or not?"

She considered this for a moment. She would _definitely _last longer if she had this truce with this…boy. "Yes."

"Good," the Career smiled and stuck out his hand. "I'm Cato."

She reaches out and gives the hand a brief shake, "Katniss."

"Well, Katniss, we have an agreement now. I won't kill you in the arena…and you won't kill me." He turned and walked away.

A minute later, she went back to bed, too, in a last-ditch attempt to get some sleep. When it failed, she went up to the roof again.

She didn't dare admit it, but some part of her had hoped that Cato had gone up there again.

_-Dream, Love, Smile-_

The District Two girl grabbed a knife and threw it. The silver blur shot through the air, right toward her, with enough momentum to guarantee a kill-and she hastily used her backpack to block the blow as she was running into the forest.

She turned back only once, to see Cato running toward the District Two girl, yelling, "No!"

And then she melted into the forest.

_-Dream, Love, Smile-_

Smoke billowed up from an area in the arena, and the rest of the Career back rose to see it clearly. He was silent-what if it was _her? _If it was…he couldn't help her there. The Careers had killed at the bloodbath, yes, but now they wanted more blood. Most especially Clove-whom he couldn't contain. He shuddered as he remembered Clove's knife propelling through the air toward her.

"Cato, wake up! We're going tribute hunting," Clove grins manically at him and he stands up, gripping his sword.

"Tribute hunting?"

He turned to see who had said that. Lover boy-the one who was 'in love,' with her. He had only recruited him because he, of all people, should know where the Girl on Fire was hiding. If he led him to her, then he could make sure she wouldn't get hurt. For a brief moment he wondered why he cared so much about her not getting hurt-but he brushed it off. It was just because he loved gaining trust and then betraying it. "Yes, Lover Boy, _tribute hunting._"

_-Dream, Love, Smile-_

He walks toward the glow of the dying fire. The tribute is _asleep-_too bad for her. Clove gestured toward the easy kill. "Would you like to do the honors, Cato?"

He raised his sword-and that's when the tribute woke up. She started screaming; begging, crying-but he banged the sword down anyway. The tribute was silenced, yet the cannon didn't sound.

An argument broke out on whether she was dead or not. When Lover Boy finally said, "I'll go back and see, finish her off!" There was a shift in one of the willow trees.

He looked up and saw a small, dark figure almost completely hidden by the willow. Immediately he knew it was her. Lover Boy went back to kill the tribute, and then the Career pack moved on, but he lingered.

"I know you're up there, Katniss."

There was a shuffling sound, and a figure dropped to the ground. She raised her head and grey eyes stared into ice blue ones.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you."

"How do I know that?" Her voice is reproachful, and her hand goes to the only weapon she had. A knife.

He stepped forward. No, he wouldn't betray her yet. He might not betray her at all. She was so young, and somewhat innocent-and he could tell that she had already been hurt. For the first time, he didn't feel like etching another scar. Not on her, at least. "I won't hurt you."

She still shivered, and was about to back away from him when he lunged forward and pressed his lips to hers.

_-Dream, Love, Smile-_

The kiss was sweet, with a tiny bit of aggressiveness. This was a District Two tribute, after all. After what seemed like years, he pulled back. She drew in a sharp breath. The kiss had left her longing for more, more, more…but that was crazy. He was a District Two tribute that would eventually kill her. She couldn't let him make her weak.

"Go back to your Careers," She climbed up the tree again. "And you better not reveal my location."

_-Dream, Love, Smile-_

Water. Water. There was a pond in the arena, an amazing, amazing pond, full of water, water, and water. She had drunk until she was full, and had eaten some of her precious food. When she belted herself into a tree by the pond for the night-for once, it seemed like everything was perfect.

Though, of course, the Gamemakers would never let that last.

_-Dream, Love, Smile-_

She woke up to swirling smoke and the smell of fire. Fire…of course the Gamemakers wouldn't let her peaceful discovery of water last. With fumbling fingers, she unbelted herself from the tree and immediately drop down onto the ground. Fire, fire, _fire. _She ran through, every branch stinging her face, her breaths now short and laboured. She darts behind a rock, and falls to her hands and knees, retching.

Then came the fireballs. Each _hiss _signified another fireball, and signified that she had to move. Weakly, she ran and dodged them, but when she moved a split second too late-the fireball burned her, and she fell.

Minutes, hours, or years later-the torture was over. She dragged herself along, weak as anything, until she finally drags herself into a pool. After sorting herself out best as she could-weariness began to weave a spell around her, and she fell asleep.

_-Dream, Love, Smile-_

The fire had weakened the Career pack, as much as they didn't want to admit it. They trudged wearily through the arena until we came to a pond, and that's when I see her. A figure, on the ground, looking very badly burned. When she senses us, though, she darts up and climbs up a tree.

He couldn't stop a hint of a smile touching his face. Of course she would climb a tree. Clove points toward the tree and all six of them walk toward it.

She stares down at them, her eyes wide. Finally, she gulps and said, "How's everything with you?"

He looks up at her, trying to send a message with his eyes. _I'll buy you time. I will, I promise. _He swallows. "Well enough. Yourself?"

She smiles down at him, and he was filled with sudden warmth. "It's been a bit warm for my taste."

He almost laughs, but keeps his face expressionless. She pauses, then says, "The air's better up here. Why don't you come on up?"

He knew he wouldn't make it up there, but it would buy her time. He grips the branches and pulls himself up. Soon, a branch cracked and he fell to the ground, grunting.

Eventually it was decided that she would just be left up there.

_-Dream, Love, Smile-_

He woke up to the whining of tracker jackers. In District Two, they had been trained on the different mutations that the Capitol had and how to avoid them. Tracker jackers were one of the most dangerous-and right now their golden bodies were swirling around him.

_Katniss, why?_ He got up, grabbed his weapons, and ran toward the lake, tracker jackers following him all the way. He submerged himself in water, the tracker jacker pain already getting to him. The water was beginning to turn purple and the trees were beginning to shimmer. He drew himself out of the water, the world around him beginning to turn. He went back to the camp, to see Lover Boy yelling at her.

She was staring at Lover Boy with confusion, and some hope, but she was staring at _him. _It sent a surge of jealously through him, and he raised his sword and slammed it into Lover Boy's leg.

_-Dream, Love, Smile-_

"Rue!" She shot an arrow at Marvel, crying. "Rue!"

The twelve year old girl's smile was already leaving her face. "Katniss…sing."

_-Dream, Love, Smile-_

"Peeta, you will make it back." She strokes his blond hair.

"No, but just in case-."

"No," she leaned forward and kissed him, but it lacked what Cato kiss had-a wanting for more, a touch of sweetness, complete perfection.

_-Dream, Love, Smile-_

"Clove!" Clove was lying on a heap in the ground, and she was gone. So was the monster from District Eleven.

"Clove…" He bent down next to her and brushed her hair out of her eyes. They have a vacant expression on them, blank. She was dead.

In all, there were only four tributes left. The truce was broken.

_-Dream, Love, Smile-_

The Capitol wanted her to fall in love with Lover Boy. He watched silently from the shadows as she kissed Lover Boy and fixed up his wounds and brushed his hair out of his eyes. The truce was already broken, but he didn't have the power to step forward. Didn't have the power to throw the knife that would end her life.

_Fall for Lover Boy, then, Katniss. But will it really save you?_

_-Dream, Love, Smile-_

Loving Peeta was the only way she could ever hope to get both of them home alive. But she couldn't quite bring herself to actually, fully _love _him. Perhaps it was because they were in an arena, in the Hunger Games.

Or perhaps it was because she had already fallen for someone.

_-Dream, Love, Smile-_

His breaths are ragged as he runs from the mutts. He looks into Clove's eyes, Glimmer's-at least none of the mutts had Katniss' grey eyes. The grey eyes that haunted his dreams.

She came crashing into the scene with Lover Boy. Just the sight of him was enough to make him want to slam his fists right into his nose. He tugged at his body armour, made from a very fine mesh. It protected most of his body from, well, anything, really. With one last breath, he thrust himself on top of the Cornucopia and away from the mutts.

_-Dream, Love, Smile-_

She watches the scene playing out on the Cornucopia before her. Cato had his arm locked around Peeta's neck, and his eyes were pleading, calling out to her to save him. Cato glanced at her, and his lips made the slightest movement. _The alliance, _they read.

The alliance was over. Peeta was her ally now, but she didn't care for him. The affections they had toward each other were all an illusion, something created by the Capitol, as crazy as their puffy wigs and magenta eye shadow.

Cato, on the other hand, she was quite sure she cared about, somewhat. More than she cared about Peeta, anyway. But even if she didn't kill him, they weren't from the same District. They both wouldn't be allowed to live.

She raised her bow and strung her arrow.

**A/N: I'll end it there. You can make up the rest of the ending however you want…that's the beauty of cliffhangers in oneshots. Please review and tell me what you thought about my…somewhat okay Kato story. **


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